Preview: Doosan Bears at Lotte Giants

BUSAN, South Korea (Interstat) — The Doosan Bears look to build on a recent victory and climb above .500 when they visit the struggling Lotte Giants for a Wednesday evening matchup at Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. local time under cloudy skies with temperatures around 59 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius).

The Bears (8-11-1) evened their series with the Giants (6-13-1) with a 6-2 win Tuesday night behind a strong relief outing from Wes Benjamin and a four-RBI performance from center fielder Jung Soo-bin. Doosan has won three of its last five.

Lotte, meanwhile, has dropped four straight and nine of its last ten games. The Giants’ offense has mustered just three runs total during the current losing skid.

A player to watch for Doosan is Benjamin, who earned the win Tuesday with 4 2/3 scoreless innings of relief, striking out seven. His performance could see him play a key role again Wednesday.

For Lotte, the focus will be on starter Na Gyun-an, who has been a bright spot despite a lack of run support. Na took the hard-luck loss Tuesday, allowing two earned runs over seven solid innings. In his last four starts, he has a 2.25 ERA but an 0-4 record, as the Giants have scored only seven total runs in those games.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a narrow 4-3 victory for the Bears. However, the same outlet’s ELO rating system gives Lotte a slight edge, with a 50.40 percent probability to win.

Following Wednesday’s contest, the two teams will conclude their series Thursday before both embark on extended homestands. Doosan will host the LG Twins for three games starting Friday, while Lotte will travel to face the Kia Tigers for a three-game set.